Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Nicoletta Lanese (she/they)

Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · Mar 7

NIH just posted this news announcement.

"Today the National Institutes of Health is announcing plans to centralize peer review of all applications for grants, cooperative agreements and research and development contracts within the agency’s Center for Scientific Review (CSR)"

NIH centralizes peer review to improve efficiency and strengthen integrity

The proposed approach is expected to save more than $65 million annually.

www.nih.gov

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Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Mar 6

Live Science will be covering @standupforscience.bsky.social irl from several locations tomorrow 🧪

Are you planning to attend in your area? Let us know why!

cc @killgrove.bsky.social
@livescience.com
@cdelawalla.bsky.social

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Reposted by Nicoletta Lanese (she/they)

Writers Guild of America East @wgaeast.bsky.social · Mar 4

Solidarity with our members in the CBS New Digital Union as we begin bargaining today. We're fighting for a strong first contract for workers at CBS' digital platforms including CBSNews.com, its mobile site, social media channels and the CBS News app.

Fair contract here we come! 💪 #UnionStrong

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Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Mar 5

The fact the authors put out a press release about a preprint and spoke with the Times about it says plenty, I think

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Reposted by Nicoletta Lanese (she/they)

betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · Mar 4

Join us at the Nonbinarian Bookstore in Brooklyn or virtually on Zoom on March 18!!!

The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · Mar 4

Join The Sick Times editors @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social and @heatherhogan.bsky.social for an evening commemorating Long COVID Awareness Day 2025 and the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic landing in New York City.

RSVP in-person: bit.ly/43nVjHO

RSVP virtual: bit.ly/4kqYqVu

A purple flyer with black text reads, “Commemorating Long COVID Awareness Day with The Sick Times. Panel discussion: The Sick Times editors Betsy Ladyzhets + Heather Hogan. Local Long COVID and COVID-19 organizers. Essay readings from The Sick Times contributors. Audience Q&A. Nonbinarian Bookstore. 1130 President St, Brooklyn NY. 7 pm - 9 PM. March 18. All in-person attendees are required to wear high-quality masks (KN95/N95 or better), no exceptions. Testing beforehand is encouraged. If you don’t feel well, please stay home!” Betsy Ladyzhets and Heather Hogan are featured in rectangle photos on the left of the page. They’re both holding microphones and wearing KN95 masks at different events.

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Reposted by Nicoletta Lanese (she/they)

Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · Mar 4

The hope: The L.A. Times will appear more "objective" if it presents both sides of an issue.

The reality: Kind of a mess.

The L.A. Times adds AI-generated counterpoints to its opinion pieces and guess what, there are problems

The hope: The L.A. Times will appear more "objective" if it presents both sides of an issue, even if one side's written by a human and the other side is generated by AI. The reality: Kind of a mess.

buff.ly

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Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Mar 1

Malaria is among the potential diagnoses, yes. Along with viral hemorrhagic fever, food or water poisoning, typhoid fever and meningitis. It could be multiple illnesses; we'll need data to know.

Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Feb 28

🧪💉🦠 #SciCom

Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Feb 28

ICYMI: A few stories from the @livescience.com health desk:

1) A yet-unidentified illness has killed 53 people and potentially infected hundreds more in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO is investigating.
www.livescience.com/health/virus...

By Patrick Pester + me /1

Mystery illness kills over 50 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

A yet-unidentified illness has killed 53 people and potentially infected hundreds more in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The World Health Organization is investigating the outbreak.

www.livescience.com

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Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Feb 28

Have a pitch for Live Science? See our guide below:
www.livescience.com/how-to-pitch...

/end

Submission guidelines: How to pitch to Live Science

Live Science welcomes news, analysis, explainer and feature pitches from freelancers. Here's everything you need to know about submitting a story idea to Live Science.

www.livescience.com

Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Feb 28

5) Bonus from last week: A book excerpt from Nafis Hasan's latest (@cannafis.bsky.social)

www.livescience.com/health/cance... /5

Why America is losing its 50-year 'war on cancer,' according to scientist Nafis Hasan

"This line of attack in the War on Cancer has had few meaningful outcomes for cancer patients."

www.livescience.com

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Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Feb 28

4) Early data suggest that this season's flu shot has effectively guarded against hospitalizations and outpatient visits for flu. But the fate of next year's flu shots is uncertain.
www.livescience.com/health/flu/t...

By me /4

This year's flu shot was up to 78% effective at preventing hospitalization in kids, early data find

Early data suggest that the 2024-2025 flu shots have effectively lowered rates of flu hospitalization and outpatient visits in vaccinated people.

www.livescience.com

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Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Feb 28

3) A child has died in the ongoing outbreak of measles in Texas, marking the nation's first fatal measles case in years. Here's what to know.
www.livescience.com/health/virus...

By @emilyfcooke.bsky.social /3

Death reported in Texas measles outbreak is 1st in US in a decade: What to know

An outbreak of measles in Texas has infected 124 people so far — 18 of whom have subsequently been hospitalized and one who has died.

www.livescience.com

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Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Feb 28

2) CW: Intimate partner violence

There is so much going on in this case report, part of our "Diagnostic dilemma" series, I'll just leave it to you to peruse...
www.livescience.com/health/ferti...

By @laminda.bsky.social /2

Diagnostic dilemma: Teen's improbable pregnancy occurred after oral sex

A teen girl with abdominal pain learned she was pregnant and had conceived under extremely unusual circumstances.

www.livescience.com

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Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Feb 28

ICYMI: A few stories from the @livescience.com health desk:

1) A yet-unidentified illness has killed 53 people and potentially infected hundreds more in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO is investigating.
www.livescience.com/health/virus...

By Patrick Pester + me /1

Mystery illness kills over 50 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

A yet-unidentified illness has killed 53 people and potentially infected hundreds more in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The World Health Organization is investigating the outbreak.

www.livescience.com

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Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Feb 27

In the category of "small things I can control," I've volunteered as a clinical trial participant!

And before you ask, yes, I'm pretty sure its lines of funding are (currently) beyond federal interference. For the moment, it's full steam ahead — hoping to spin a story out of it, so more to come 💉💊

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Reposted by Nicoletta Lanese (she/they)

Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · Feb 27

It is worth paying close attention to the new bill "Dangerous Viral Gain of Function Research Moratorium Act" introduced by Senator Roger Marshall.

If enacted, it will effectively stop all of virological research, including for vaccines.

www.marshall.senate.gov/wp-content/u...

🧵👇

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Reposted by Nicoletta Lanese (she/they)

Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · Feb 26

Elon Musk said DOGE made a mistake by cutting USAID’s Ebola prevention but it had been “restored.”

That’s not true, current and former officials told me and @johnphudson.bsky.social.

“There have been no efforts to ‘turn on’” Ebola prevention, said Nidhi Bouri, who oversaw team until January.

Musk claims DOGE ‘restored’ Ebola prevention effort. Officials disagree.

USAID’s initiatives to fight Ebola and other diseases have been gutted, current and former agency officials said.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Nicoletta Lanese (she/they)

The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · Feb 24

Exclusive: NIH appears to archive policy requiring female animals in studies www.thetransmitter.org/policy/exclu...

Exclusive: NIH appears to archive policy requiring female animals in studies

Such a shift would “put us back in the dark ages in terms of our science,” says neuroscientist Anne Murphy, who helped to formulate the original policy.

www.thetransmitter.org

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Reposted by Nicoletta Lanese (she/they)

Madison Pauly @msjpauly.bsky.social · Feb 24

LGBTQ federal workers say they're terrified they're about to be fired for their gender identity, sexual orientation, or past efforts to support other queer and trans employees—in other words, a second Lavender Scare.

Honored to have their trust with this story: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

LGBTQ federal workers brace for a McCarthyist purge

"They’re not asking people ‘Are you gay? Are you lesbian?’ They’re asking, ‘Who is participating in DEI?'"

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by Nicoletta Lanese (she/they)

Annie Roth @annieroth.bsky.social · Feb 24

Looking for a scientist who can speak to the effectiveness of using species recovery (think beavers, bison, etc) efforts to reduce the severity/spread of wildfires.

This is for an article, not the film. DM me or comment below!

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Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Feb 24

This case report — uncovered by @laminda.bsky.social for our "Diagnostic dilemma" series at @livescience.com —highlights a little-known risk of seeing your favorite bands in concert 👇

Mindy Weisberger @laminda.bsky.social · Feb 24

If, like me, you often feel like doing some forceful screaming these days, take heed from this case report about a teen who screamed her way to a trio of respiratory conditions at a One Direction show.

Fun fact: The paper's lead author—an ER physician—was in a boy band & toured w/Destiny's Child 🎤

Diagnostic dilemma: One Direction concert left teen with 'crackling' bubbles in her chest

In what doctors called an "extraordinary" case, a teenage girl developed several rare conditions after attending a pop concert.

www.livescience.com

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Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Feb 24

Finished my 1st read of "The Will to Change," and it's as timely a text as ever (although it could benefit from more queer perspectives imo).

I wouldn't say it's a hopeful read, as the struggle it outlines is ongoing and has no simple solutions. But it's an important read, nonetheless! #booksky

Cover of "the will to change" by bell hooks

A page of the book with a section bracketed that reads: "the ability to critique oneself and change and to hear critique from others is the condition of being that makes us capable of responsibility."

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Nicoletta Lanese (she/they) @nicolanese.bsky.social · Feb 22

I've had similar experiences with Google's AI Overview —

That said, in reference to this study, it seems the research team intends to ensure their tool is optimized and accurate before rolling it out at scale. So I wouldn't say it's a comparable scenario.

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Reposted by Nicoletta Lanese (she/they)

Megha Satyanarayana @megha.bsky.social · Feb 21

Cross Currents: why is the trump administration and rfk going after prozac and adderall for kids? my latest for scientific american

www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...

Why Is the Trump Administration Villainizing Mental Health Meds for Kids?

A federal commission to examine U.S. chronic disease could undercut real treatment for kids with depression, ADHD and other mental health challenges

www.scientificamerican.com

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